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ENHANCING QUANTITY

10-Year Supply Forecast of Developable Land

The Government has published a forecast of developable land to be available in the next 10 years, as set out at Annex D. In the next decade, supply of developable land will reach 3 280 hectares (ha). Of these supplies, it is estimated that the sites already earmarked for housing uses could produce about 493 000 housing units, and the sites already earmarked for economic uses could provide a gross floor area of about 10 330 000 square metres. Over this period, land supply is on an upward trend, from 110 ha in the first year to 480 ha in 2032-33, marking a major reversal of the situation of stringent supply in the past.

Major Land Creation Initiatives

We are forging ahead the following initiatives －

  1. Northern Metropolis – New Development Areas (NDAs) including Kwu Tung North, Fanling North, Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen, Yuen Long South, San Tin/Lok Ma Chau and New Territories North New Town are at different stages of planning and development, all proceeding at full steam1 . They are not only major sources of housing supply in the future, but will also provide much-needed land for economic development, not least the development of innovation and technology. Our target is to form 40% of the over 3 000 ha of new development land in the North and Yuen Long districts and complete 40% of the new flats planned for the new development land within 10 years. The Chief Executive will personally head a Steering Committee to guide the development of the Metropolis, and a dedicated department will be set up next year under the Development Bureau (DEVB) to steer and coordinate the work of departments involved;
  2. Kau Yi Chau Artificial Islands in Central Waters – Providing 1 000 ha of new land, the Artificial Islands will enhance Hong Kong’s competiveness as a financial, commercial and trade centre. The new railways and roads will also enhance the overall traffic network of Hong Kong. We will put forth proposals on the scope of reclamation, land use, transport infrastructure network and financing arrangement within this year. The Panel will be consulted in December 2022. Our target is to commence the Environmental Impact Assessment process in 2023 and kick-start the reclamation works in 2025;
  3. Green Belt Review – In the latest round of “Green Belt” review, we have shortlisted about 255 ha of land with potential for housing development for further technical studies, with a potential supply of about 70 000 housing units. Rezoning of the first batch of land will commence by 2024;
  4. Redevelopment of brownfield sites – More than half of the current 1 600 ha of brownfield sites in the New Territories will gradually be developed for housing and other uses. While speeding up the resumption of brownfield sites for development, we propose to develop multi-storey industrial buildings to help accommodate some of the brownfield operations displaced as a result of land development, at the same time optimise the use of industrial land. We plan to brief the Panel in November 2022 on our proposal;
  5. Tseung Kwan O (TKO) Area 137 – We propose developing TKO Area 137 into a new community primarily for housing purpose (providing about 50 000 housing units), to be served by newly proposed rail and road links, namely the TKO Line Southern Extension and TKO-Yau Tong Tunnel. While high density developments will be focused in Area 137, we will study the possibility of near shore reclamations in the vicinity to accommodate community facilities and transport links. For instance, we will study the use of reclaimed land off the TKO InnoPark for providing open space, sports ground and the TKO Line Southern Extension. We will release detailed land use proposals for public consultation after completion of the planning and engineering study by the end of the year; and
  6. Development related to a new Pak Shek Kok East Rail Station – By providing a new Pak Shek Kok East Rail Station, we will unlock the development potential of land in the vicinity and provide better transport for the Science Park. The development is expected to provide about 10 000 housing units. The Mass Transit Railway Corporation Limited is expected to complete an initial study by the end of the year with recommendations on development parameters for the Station and the developments in the vicinity, and the indicative development timeframe.

ENHANCING SPEED AND EFFICIENCY

We set out the following directions to streamline and speed up the development process and related workflow －

  1. Legislative Procedures – amend five development-related ordinances within this year with a view to reducing the time required for turning “primitive land” into “spade-ready sites”, with a view to shortening the land development process (from commencement of studies to delivery of the first parcels of formed land) for typical projects outside NDAs from at least six years to about four years, and large-scale projects (e.g. NDAs) from around 13 years to about seven years. Looking ahead, we also plan to simplify the arrangement for extension of land leases through legislative means; and
  2. Administrative Procedures – (i) review key development-related topics (e.g. gross floor area concession arrangement for carparks, procedures concerning felling and compensatory planting of trees and self-certification and independent checking arrangement) and put forward concrete proposals progressively from mid-2023 onwards; (ii) form dedicated processing units in the Buildings Department with a target of approving 80% of high-yield private residential projects (500 units or more) on their first or second submission of general building plans; (iii) put forward an implementation plan by mid-2023 to extend the arrangement for charging land premium at standard rates to agricultural land outside NDAs in the New Territories and regularise the arrangement for charging land premium at standard rates for redevelopment of industrial buildings; and (iv) promote further use of Building Information Modelling (BIM).

We will also promote wider adoption of Modular Integrated Construction (MiC), and formulate measures to strengthen MiC supply chain, including making available land in the Northern Metropolis for manufacturing and storage of modules, and fostering collaboration with the Greater Bay Area to strengthen Hong Kong’s leading position in the adoption of MiC in the region.

ENHANCING QUALITY

Updating and Streamlining the Compulsory Sale Regime

The number of aged buildings is rapidly increasing in our city. To expedite redevelopment and improve urban living environment, we propose lowering the application thresholds for compulsory sale (down to 70% of ownership for private buildings aged 50 or above but below 70 and 60% of ownership for private buildings aged 70 or above), as well as facilitating multiple-lots applications and streamlining the legal process. At the same time, we will enhance support services for affected minority owners to safeguard their interests. We will put forward detailed proposals along the above directions before the end of the year, for consultation with the Panel and other stakeholders.

Round-the-Island Trail

We will build a Round-the-Island Trail on Hong Kong Island, by connecting the waterfront promenades on the northern shore of the island with a number of existing waterfront and countryside walking trails in the Southern District. Studies and design as well as works will commence from next year onwards with a view to connecting 90% of the Trail within five years.

1 Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen NDA includes the areas of Lau Fau Shan, Tsim Bei Tsui and Pak Nai, while Kwu Tung North NDA also includes the area of Ma Tso Lung. The on-going study for New Territories North New Town would cover the Lo Wu/Man Kam To Comprehensive Development Node.